[Full Title: CCHR Says Congress Should Look at Conflicts of Interest Influencing VA’s Failure to Investigate Psychotropic Drug Deaths] While Congress currently is focusing on the VA’s alleged poor quality of care due to long wait times for medical access, still little, to no, attention is being given to the hundreds of veteran cardiac arrests and suicides that occurred after being prescribed cocktails of dangerous psychotropic drugs, especially antipsychotics. Why? The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), the nation’s leading mental health watchdog, presented written testimony this year to Congressional hearings into military and veteran deaths and believes that conflicts...

A hammer-wielding attacker with a long history of mental illness struck two 55-year-old women walking near Navy Pier, causing a head wound to one woman that took about 30 stitches to close, Cook County prosecutors and his family said Thursday. Jawaun Westbrook, 28, was released on parole last month for a conviction on two counts of aggravated battery to a police officer, Assistant State’s Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said.

Six-year-old Larry DaSilva said he just closed his eyes as the car that authorities say was driven by a schizophrenic Brockton woman off her meds plowed into him and two other children as they crossed the street to their school bus. The collision sent the first-grader and his race car backpack flying six to seven feet in the air in front of his horrified father, knocking off his Air Jordan sneakers, one of which become lodged under one of the car’s wheels.

Exclusive: Barbara Simpson questions role of prescription meds in shootings The countdown had begun. Christmas Eve was just 10 days away. For the children, excitement was building, as it should. Then, in a burst of what can only be described as naked evil, it was over. What had begun as a normal school day took a turn no one could have anticipated or even imagined. Sandy Hook Elementary School, grades K through 4, in the quiet village of Newtown, Conn., became the target of a plot that was carried out with diabolical accuracy that turned classrooms into a charnel house....

Editor's note: Andrew Weil is the director of the integrative medicine program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and professor of Medicine and Public Health, author of "Eight Weeks to Optimum Health," "Healthy Aging," "Spontaneous Happiness" and the forthcoming "True Food." (CNN) -- "I'm just gonna put a little more butter in there, y'all," she said as she plopped a large chunk into the skillet. "Oh my," she added, "I've gone and put a whole stick in by now." I was watching Paula Deen on the Food Network, whipping up a shrimp sauté to go over pasta. I...

Studies: Missed meds waste billionsPublished: May 27, 2011 at 11:02 AM WASHINGTON, May 27 (UPI) -- Studies say Americans who don't take prescribed medications waste billions annually because the missed doses lead to emergency room visits and hospitalizations. A study by Express Scripts, an independent prescription- filling company, says the problem costs $258 billion a year, while a second study by CVS Caremark, Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital put the figure at $290 billion, USA Today reported Friday. **SNIP** "Drugs don't work if you don't take them, and people often don't take them the way they're supposed to,"...

Meijer and Giant Eagle are offering free diabetes medications to customers with a prescription, upping the ante among grocery chains hoping to lure customers with free medications. Metformin Immediate Release, the most commonly prescribed medicine to treat type 2 diabetes, joins several prescribed antibiotics and prenatal vitamins now available at no charge at the Michigan-based grocery retailer, Meijer said yesterday. Metformin dosages offered include 500 mg, 850 mg and 1,000 mg tablets, said Effie Steele, clinical-services coordinator. Tablets will be dispensed at up to 100 at a time. The pills typically would cost a patient $14.30 for the 500 mg...

New study shows seven-fold decrease in medication errors thanks to e-prescribingIs it time for all community-based doctors to turn to e-prescribing to cut down on the number of medication errors? According to Rainu Kaushal and colleagues from the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, electronic prescriptions can dramatically reduce prescribing errors – up to seven-fold. Their study¹ of the benefits of e-prescribing in primary care practices appears online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine², published by Springer. > Kaushal and team found that among those who used e-prescribing, there was an almost seven-fold decrease in prescribing errors after...

The board of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) has agreed to terms of a deal to take over Wyeth for $68 billion, The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported Monday. Pfizer, the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, would acquire Wyeth for a combination of $26 billion in cash as well as loans and stock, the newspaper said, citing people involved in the negotiations. The report said five banks have agreed to lend Pfizer $22.5 billion to finance the deal, making it the first major merger in months that has drawn the support of Wall Street. The acquisition is expected to be announced...

Among the most popular of the DUFU editions have been those about meds. Specifically DUmmies talking (bragging) about the many meds upon which they are absolutely dependent. In fact, to read these DUmmie Meds threads, you would think that meds are as vital to DUmmies as food and water. Come to think of it, most DUmmies would rather mainline meds than eat a filet mignon. In the spirit of drug dependency we now have this DUmmie THREAD titled, "Just Curious...How many DUers have started meds since becoming a member of the community??" So let us now watch the DUmmies...

Toronto -- Psychotropic drugs are being prescribed to nearly half the Crown wards in a sample of Ontario children's aid societies, kindling fears that the agencies are overusing medication with the province's most vulnerable children. According to documents obtained by The Globe and Mail under Ontario's Freedom of Information Act, 47 per cent of the Crown wards - children in permanent CAS care - at five randomly picked agencies were prescribed psychotropics last year to treat depression, attention deficit disorder, anxiety and other mental-health problems. And, the wards are diagnosed and medicated far more often than are children in the...

Yaa, you repukes are not doing so well, huh? Imagine, you repukes control the presidency, both houses of Congress, and appointed 7 of the 9 Supreme Court justices. Yet the Supreme Court thre out sodomy laws in all 50 states and recognized the right of government to seize land for any reason. And you couldn't pass your Social Security changes could you? Sorry, that was your last shot. Come November, we're going to start seeing more Democratic faces in the House. It's the end for you guys. You guys are celebrating when Bush's numbers go *up* to 45%. Then Faux...

Bush’s giant Right Wing Noise Machine (RWNM) loves to preach about the Bush economic miracle. In fact, the RWNM’s current thinking is Bush doesn’t spend enough time talking about his economic triumphs. If only he did, then everyone would fall in line and believe in the great Bush economic miracle. There is one problem with this argument: it’s a lie. Any way you look at the Bush economy, it comes up short. Today, I want to compare Bush’s job creation record with other economic recoveries. As usual, Bush comes up way short. The national Bureau of Economic Research has identified...

Why does anybody support George w Bush as President? He is clearly the worst President I have ever seen -- a complete disaster. And before you say anything, I have been a registered Republican for 25 years.

Lies of omission about 9/11 -- stoking fears of terrorism THEY WANT YOU TO BE AFRAID The following post was censored by freerepublic.com shortly after it was posted on their "public" forum on 9/11/04. That forum is designed to appear as though it is a community forum open to all, but this post only received three responses before it and its replies were deleted, and a repeat posting at 4 am PST on 9/20/04 didn't stay online for 5 minutes! Someone is apparently watching closely over the content of the freerepublic.com forums and censoring them 24/7 (though they might have...

Study: U.S. Can't Keep Illegal Meds Out Thursday November 10, 2005 11:46 PM WASHINGTON (AP) - The government has not developed an organized way to stop people from illegally importing prescription drugs, a congressional study issued Thursday said. The Government Accountability Office said the sheer volume of imports, hidden amid the rest of the mail, has it difficult for the Food and Drug Administration and Customs and Border Patrol officers from locating many of them. A requirement that the FDA give notice to people whose drugs are seized has also drained resources. People are importing such drugs, often through Web...

PetMeds.com advertises the dogs heartworm meds. for $11.00 less than what our vets office charges per dog per Rx. I told them I might go through petmeds.com and they said that they cannot vouch where the meds came from even though the packaging looks legit. What are your thoughts on this? Woud you order from petmeds.com or order from the vet?